Back in the pre-DS days, Gameboy Advances were the big fad. It's hacking device, Game Shark, was hard to come by and nobody had it. The DS action replay is available in every electronics store and the majority of gamers have it. Many only hack online or after they've beaten the game. But how is this affecting games?

When I was in Grade 1 to about 3, Pokemon Fire Red and Metroid Zero Mission were THE games. You had to have them. Many people could speed run Zero Mission in under an hour, and we had all these great competitions. In Fire Red, if you had Lugia somehow, YOU WERE THE MAN.

Now back then, remember I said we didn't use Game Sharks. No infinite health hacks for Zero Mission, no hacked Pokemon, nothing. It was all legit. Nowadays, I'll pick up Metroid Prime Hunters, or Pokemon Platinum and bring it to school. Not only does anyone care what Pokemon you have, they don't believe anything you can say you do unless you PROVE you have no Action Replay.

Action Replays have ruined all trust, all the exploration, the challenge, the MYSTERY of DS games. You used to have to work for hours, practice and practice, and you got better. There's no contest now because it's as simple as checking a box.

So you see, Action Replays and whatever hacking or modifying devices are currently made, have basically ruined local competition in handheld gaming. I whole-heartedly hope AR's become rare, obscure items and don't evolve into anything bigger.

Comment whether you agree or not.